Japan pledges 300 million USD for ICT development

On 8 December 2017, prior to the Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11), the Japanese Government made a pledge to provide approximately 300 million USD over the next three years to support the development of the information and communications technology (ICT) field, including e-commerce, in developing countries.

 

Japan hopes that this assistance will help developing countries benefit from e-commerce through building their ICT capacity and infrastructure. For the development of the digital economy, it is essential to improve infrastructure, both soft and hard, so as to create an environment which enables affordable Internet access for all and which facilitates the participation of businesses, particularly MSMEs, in digital trade. As an active participant in the discussions on e-commerce in the WTO, Japan hopes that this new initiative will encourage developing countries to actively engage in future discussions on e-commerce and the digital economy.

 

Inquiries related to this initiative should be made to your nearest Embassy or Consulate of Japan. (List of Overseas Establishments: https://www.mofa.go.jp/about/emb_cons/mofaserv.html)

 

Read the press release on Japan’s pledge here.

Find the Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce at MC11 here